


Sunshine Boy

by squiggid



Category: Tales of Vesperia
Genre: Age Difference, Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - College/University, Anxiety, Cheating, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Flynn Is The Sun Incarnate, Foot Massage, M/M, Sex, Trauma, Unhealthy Relationships
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-17
Updated: 2020-06-17
Packaged: 2021-03-04 02:48:20
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,557
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24776398
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/squiggid/pseuds/squiggid
Summary: Yuri wants to be the reason Flynn smiles like that, so bright like the sun, so bright that Yuri can forget how dark his world is.He’s never actually given Duke a reason to justify his overprotectiveness until now.
Relationships: Yuri Lowell/Duke Pantarei, Yuri Lowell/Flynn Scifo
Comments: 2
Kudos: 27





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> For all the Duke fans out there—I’m sorry, I don’t really portray your boy in a very flattering light.
> 
> Please mind the tags!!

It’s only when the café doors close behind him that Yuri stops holding his breath.

He can’t remember when exactly he started the habit of holding his breath after leaving the apartment. Was it after he’d fallen asleep studying at the library, and he’d woken up to a worried and angry text from Duke? Or maybe it was when, on his way to a club meeting, he was dragged somewhere by that crazy freshman Patty, and Duke accused him of lying about intending to go to club in the first place? Somehow, things had spiraled so that now Yuri couldn’t seem to leave the apartment without holding his breath, eyes darting around, feeling Duke’s oppressive presence everywhere, even when he’s sure Duke’s back at their apartment.

Yuri catches sight of Judith standing in line and steps up next to her.

“Yuri,” Judith acknowledges in that smooth voice of hers: pleasant even with a hint of amusement to it. “You’re just going to cut in line like that?”

“I think people will excuse us if they know how long it’s been since we’ve seen each other,” Yuri replies, tossing a cunning smile over his shoulder.

“It has been a while, hasn’t it?” Judith muses, tipping her head back in thought. “One month, to be exact?”

Yuri’s smile turns into more of a smirk. “Always so perceptive, aren’t you?”

“I try to pay attention to my surroundings,” Judith says cryptically.

It’s been one month, because Yuri’s planned it that way. One month is just long enough for him to have a valid excuse of “I haven’t seen my friends in a while” and just short enough for Duke not to counter back with something like, “It’s been so long since these ‘friends’ of yours have made an effort to reach out to you.”

Oh, people have reached out. Yuri just hasn’t figured out a way to explain the situation without making them all worry.

Judith gives him a look—thoughtfulness mixed with a sort of pity.

“What?” Yuri demands with a raised eyebrow.

“Nothing, I’m just...” Judith offers a sly smile. “I’m just glad I’m not a man. For more reasons than usual.”

“Oh yeah? And why’s that?”

“Because then Duke would have made you cut me off like he did with all your other male friends.”

It’s true. It’s not even just Yuri’s male friends—it’s any guy Yuri spends time with. He even had to stop tutoring that freshman Karol because of Duke’s suspicious texts during sessions.

Hanging out with people has never been so exhausting.

Judith finishes ordering her drink and then turns to Yuri. “I’ll find us a seat.”

Nodding, Yuri steps up to the counter.

“What can I get started for you?” the nice girl behind the counter asks.

“Hey, can I get a—”

He’s interrupted by a blonde boy shuffling up next to the girl from behind the counter, tying an apron behind his back.

“Estelle, I can take over,” he says to the girl.

“Thanks,” she says, backing away from the register. “See you tomorrow!”

The boy nods and then fully turns his attention to Yuri across from him.

“How can I help you?” he asks.

The boy flashes a bright smile, and Yuri forgets how to breathe.

The boy has the brightest, bluest eyes that crinkle with pure generosity when he smiles. Even if he’s just going through the motions of polite customer service, the sincerity of the smile makes Yuri feel like he did something amazing to deserve it, like he surprised him with a gift or treated him out to a nice dinner.

Yuri doesn’t deserve that 1000-watt smile, but he wants to. He wants to see that smile every day. He wants to be the reason the boy smiles like that, so bright like the sun, so bright that Yuri can forget how dark his world is.

He’s never actually given Duke a reason to justify his overprotectiveness until now.

At Yuri’s silent staring, a red flush creeps up on the boy’s cheeks, and his bright smile shifts into an awkward squirm.

“I-is there a problem?” he asks hesitantly.

“N-no, I...” Yuri clears his throat and tries not to think too much about how cute the boy is when he’s blushing. “Can I get an iced coffee, please?”

“Of course,” the boy says, tapping away at the tablet in front of him. “May I have a name for the order?”

He’s just asking your name as part of his job, Yuri, nothing special, calm down.

“Yuri,” he answers.

“Yuri,” the boy repeats, scribbling the name on a cup in his hand.

The name sounds so nice on his tongue. Yuri wants to hear him say it all the time, answering the phone, calling from another room, between laughs after a bad joke, in his bed with a gasp.

Shit.

“That’ll be $2.50,” the boy says.

“Oh, right,” Yuri mumbles, fumbling for his wallet. “Here.”

Their fingertips brush as the boy takes Yuri’s card. The touch is so small, so brief, but it shoots electricity through Yuri’s fingers. He wants to reach out and grab the boy’s hand. He wants to hold it while walking down hallways, brush against it with his lips, pin it down against bedsheets.

“We’ll have that ready for you in a few minutes,” the boy says, pulling Yuri out of his thoughts. 

Yuri blinks. “R-right, thanks.”

“My pleasure,” the boy says, smiling again, just as bright but now maybe with a hint of shyness.

Yuri has to wrench himself away from the counter before he gets sucked into the spell of that smile again.

Of course, when he finds Judith, she’s giving him a knowing smile. 

“I’m impressed,” she says when he sits down.

Yuri scoffs. “With what? With how spectacularly awkward I was?”

“No, I’m impressed that you actually picked a good one this time.”

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

“I mean that you have terrible taste in men,” Judith says matter-of-fairly with a wave of her hand.

Yuri blanches. “What? I do not.”

“Zagi?”

“OK, I didn’t know he was actually insane.”

“Raven?”

“Raven was a deadbeat, but he was nice when he put in the effort.”

“... Duke?”

“Duke is...” Yuri struggles to find the right words. “Duke is... fine. We’re fine.”

“Mmhmm,” Judith hums like she and Yuri both know what he meant to say.

Yuri and Duke are not fine. They haven’t been fine for a while now. But what’s he supposed to do when Duke’s the reason he has a place to stay? When Duke, this grad student he slept around with, was able to help him after he lost all motivation with school and dropped out? He doesn’t really have a home to go back to, and he sure as hell has no idea what he wants to do with his future. So lazing around doing various odd jobs with a free place to crash seems like the best option at the moment.

Yuri should be grateful. He’s reminded of that all the time. But being dependent on and indebted to someone, especially someone who always has such a close eye on him, is suffocating.

“Why don’t you ask him out?” Judith suggests.

“Who?”

“The cute barista boy.”

Yuri arches an eyebrow and lifts the side of his mouth. “Come on, Judith, you know I can’t.”

“Why not?”

“What do you mean, ‘why not’?”

“If you won’t ask him out, I will.”

Yuri smirk drops. “What? No.”

“Why can’t I?”

“Because...” Yuri’s eyes dart back and forth. “Because...”

“Because you want to ask him out?” Judith says with a glint in her eyes.

“I mean...” 

“Time waits for no one, Yuri Lowell.”

”What are you—”

“Judith?” a voice calls from behind the counter. That voice, that nice voice from that nice mouth from that nice boy.

Judith winks as she gets up from her seat, but Yuri tugs on her arm.

“Judith, sit back down.”

“What, I can’t get my latte?”

“I swear to fucking god—”

“Be right back.”

“Wait!”

Judith finally pauses and gives Yuri a look. All it takes is one glance at the counter, with the blonde boy glancing curiously in their direction, Judith’s cup on the counter top in front of him. He’s all the way on the other side of the café, but Yuri’s face still burns just looking at him.

A bursting feeling of hope in his chest is weighed down by heavy guilt.

“I... I can’t,” Yuri mutters.

“Sure, you can,” Judith says, voice finally softened from its playfulness earlier.

“No, I...” Yuri sighs and lets go of Judith. “I can’t. Go get your drink. And get mine, too, while you’re up there.”

Judith gives him a disappointed look before leaving Yuri with his head in his hands.

He wants to. Of course he wants to. But he can’t.

—

Duke doesn’t look up from his laptop when Yuri comes home. He never does. He never says anything to acknowledge Yuri’s left or come back, never a “How was it seeing your friend?” or a “I’m glad you made it back safely.” Just a cold lack of acknowledgement that makes Yuri feel like he never should have gone out in the first place.

They don’t talk all day, all throughout dinner, even when Duke’s holding him down from behind and pressing into him, inside him. Usually Yuri tries not to think too much when it’s cold and rough like this, but this time, maybe, just maybe, he allows himself to think about the boy at the café, that bright, beautiful boy, and how he’d look underneath Yuri, what sounds and reactions and expressions he’d make to every one of Yuri’s touches.

When Duke’s finished, Yuri turns around for a kiss as a silent apology, but Duke just climbs off him and goes to the bathroom to clean up. Sighing, Yuri sinks into the bed and finishes himself off, still thinking about the boy and his kind smile.

—

The café is relatively close to campus. It’s not hard to walk with Duke (who’s slowly starting to forgive him) to campus and then take a small detour on the way back. It wouldn’t be suspicious or out of the ordinary at all, either, for Yuri to stop by for a cup of coffee, in case Duke texted him asking where he is.

It’s a shot in the dark, considering he has no idea what Sunshine Boy’s schedule is. Part of him actually sort-of hopes that the boy won’t be there so that Yuri can go on with his life without this new interest, this new light, this new guilt.

But of course, there he is, bright blonde hair and brilliant smile, cleaning a plate and chatting with his coworker, the same nice girl from yesterday.

For a brief moment, Yuri wonders if maybe there’s a connection between them that’s more than just coworkers or friends—and then the boy makes eye contact with Yuri. He nearly drops the plate in his hand and then awkwardly shuffles around to place it neatly on a stack of plates. The girl (Estelle?) turns to see what spooked him, giggles, and then heads to the back of the area, leaving the boy alone at the front.

Yuri can recognize that awkward movement upon recognition anywhere. It lights a spark in him, a confidence he hasn’t felt in a long time, ever since he first approached Duke after class one day so many months ago.

It’s been so long since he’s felt this in control, and it feels so good.

Pushing down a smirk, Yuri deliberately takes his time sauntering over to the counter. The boy’s trying his best to look patient, but Yuri catches the way his fingers fiddle with the edges of his apron.

God, he’s adorable.

“Hi, what can I get for you?” the boy asks coyly, nervously tucking a piece of hair behind his ear. He’s so cute it hurts.

Yuri plays along with the customer service routine. “Yeah, can I get an iced coffee, please?”

“Of course,” the boy says, tapping at his tablet. “That’ll be $2.50.”

“Is there a way to, like, open a tab here?”

The boy pauses and then laughs. His laugh makes something bubble up and swell in Yuri’s chest.

“I’m afraid we’re not a bar,” the boy says, still smiling wide after his laughs have died down.

“That’s too bad, because I’m planning to be a regular,” Yuri says, unable to help his own smile after seeing the boy’s. Damn, it’s beautiful.

The boy takes Yuri’s card and then says, a bit hesitantly, with small glances at him, “It’s... Yuri, right?”

“You remember,” Yuri says with raised eyebrows.

“Of course I remember.”

“Now, why would you remember me?”

Yuri’s fucking around. He just wants to hear him say it.

The boy squirms in place and suddenly can only look anywhere but the customer in front of him. “You... have a memorable name and face, I suppose.”

“It’s the hair, isn’t it?” Yuri says, touching the ends of his long hair. “Maybe I should cut it.”

“No, no, I...” The boy drops his gaze and says quietly, “I like it.”

Yuri’s heart does a backflip. This boy, he’s too much. Suddenly, Yuri’s overcome with an intense feeling of wanting more, needing more information about this boy who makes his mind reel with just a smile and a few words.

“You know, it’s not very fair that you know my name, but I don’t know yours,” Yuri says, taking back his card and leaning against the counter.

The boy stands up a bit straighter. “It’s Flynn.”

“Flynn, huh.” Yuri tries the name out on his tongue, memorizes how it feels. “It’s nice to meet you. I’m Yuri, but I guess you already know that.”

“I guess I do,” Flynn laughs, offering a hand.

Yuri glances at the outstretched hand and then takes it with a smirk. “Well, you’re a gentleman, aren’t you?”

“I try my best to be courteous to strangers.”

Flynn tries to take his hand back, but Yuri doesn’t let go. Here, now, actually touching the boy, actually getting his name, spurs Yuri on with a confidence he forgot he had.

“What if we aren’t strangers anymore?” Yuri says, dropping his voice.

Flynn’s eyes widen, his mouth drops open, and that delicious blush is creeping up his neck again.

“What... did you have in mind?” Flynn asks, barely a whisper.

“When do you get off?”

“In about... two hours.”

Finally, Yuri takes his hand back to look at the time on his phone. Two hours doesn’t work. Even if his shift doesn’t start for a few hours after that, it wouldn’t make sense for him to come back to the café for another cup of coffee. That would be too suspicious if Duke asks him what he’s up to.

“Does that... not work for you?” Flynn probes hesitantly.

Grimacing, Yuri taps open his contacts and then hands his phone to Flynn. “How about this: I’ll text you, and we can go from there.”

“Oh, OK,” Flynn says, taking Yuri’s phone and tapping away.

When Flynn returns his phone, Yuri sees that he’s added his full name: Flynn Scifo. He’ll have to delete the last name later, for Flynn’s sake, just in case Duke sees a text notification on his phone and wants to do some digging.

“I’ll text you,” Yuri says, waving a hand and walking away.

“Wait!”

Yuri stops.

“You never got your drink,” Flynn explains.

Oh. He didn’t, did he? He’d been so focused on getting Sunshine Boy’s number that he’d blanked on everything else.

“That’s OK.” Yuri waves his phone. “I got what I came here for.”

Blushing again, Flynn smiles. “I’ll wait for that text then.”

Yuri smiles back and walks out the door, feeling good about himself for the first time in a long time.

—

Texting means that Yuri can’t see that charming face, but at least he can chat and get to know the person behind it.

Flynn Scifo is a political science major and a senior, the same year Yuri would be if he’d stayed in school. He’s the captain of the tennis team. He’s already gotten a job prospect after a successful internship last summer, so he’s just trying to make some quick cash at the café before he moves to D.C. after graduation.

He’s way too good for Yuri.

Sure, Yuri tells him about himself, too. He tells him that he was going down the route of criminal justice until he realized, well, all cops are bastards, and he doesn’t know if he really wants to work with one. He tells Flynn that he’s in a rough housing situation, so he’s picking up odd jobs here and there so that he can move out.

He doesn’t tell Flynn about Duke. Flynn’s way too good of a person to want to do anything with him if he knows that Yuri has a—a what, a boyfriend? An exclusive lover roommate he’s indebted to? Yes, Yuri’s being selfish by not telling Flynn the whole situation, but he‘s so scared of going back to his life before he met Flynn, before he had this light to chase away his lonely darkness.

“So, have you asked him out yet?” Rita asks through a chat message. She’s in class, but she never pays attention and always gets 100 on the final anyway.

Yuri sighs and types back, “Not yet.”

“Why the hell not?”

“You know why not.”

“Are you a pussy?”

Yuri scoffs. “Maybe. Duke’s pretty scary when he’s mad.”

“He doesn’t hurt you, does he?”

“Nah.”

“Good, ‘cause if he did, I’d punch him.”

“Rita, you’re, like, five feet tall. What would you even do to him?”

“Punch him in the dick.”

“OK, sweetie.”

Rita starts typing, but keys jingle from just outside the door. Hurriedly, Yuri closes the chat window and pulls up the JRPG he was playing before he was so interrupted by a snarky genius girl.

Duke opens the door and locks eyes with Yuri.

“Hello,” he says, deep voice and all.

“Hey,” Yuri says.

Duke walks over, dropping his bag on the way, and kisses Yuri deeply, pushing him back against his desk.

“Mmph,” Yuri grunts into the kiss. “What’s this about?”

“I have some time before my office hours,” Duke mutters, unzipping Yuri’s pants with nimble fingers.

It’s not rough in a cold way, especially nowhere near as cold as it was last time. It’s rough in a way that makes Yuri feel like his body’s on fire. Whenever Duke kisses him, whenever he touches him, he does so in a way that makes Yuri feel like he’s being consumed alive, from the inside out. It’s an intoxicating kind of passion that Yuri loses himself in every time, something that he fell so hard for after their first hookup, something that makes him believe that, despite everything, Duke does really like him.

Which, of course, makes this whole situation that much harder.

“I will never let you down,” Duke whispers after they’re finished, pressing their foreheads together and intertwining their fingers.

It could be sweet, it could be romantic, but it sounds like a threat. It sounds dangerously close to “I will never let you go.”


	2. Chapter 2

It’s been a little over a week since Yuri exchanged numbers with Flynn, and Yuri can tell the boy’s starting to get antsy.

Flynn’s also, apparently, not one to make the first move. He drops hints here and there, but he always waits for Yuri to take the bait. There are days when Yuri wants to jump at the chance, but there are also days when Duke treats Yuri like he’s the only thing that matters in the world, like he’d tear down the whole universe for him, and it makes Yuri feels so awful and guilty for thinking about Flynn all the time, Flynn and his bright smile, Flynn and his kind laugh.

It’s fine. He’ll wait. He’ll wait until one day it gets too bad, until it’s too much to handle, and Yuri actually has enough money saved up, so he’ll finally be able to break away and take out Flynn with no regrets.

He just hopes Flynn will be able to wait for him until then.

Just when Yuri’s thinking about how grateful he is for Flynn’s patience, he walks into the café to see the boy in question laughing with a guy draped over the countertop.

Immediately, a feral instinct flares within Yuri before he notices Flynn’s body language. He’s smiling, but it’s a tight smile, and his back is straight—rigid, even—with fingers gripping tightly at the edges of his apron. The other man, an older guy with dark hair and a nasty sneer, keeps moving in closer and closer, and Flynn’s feet scoot backward behind the counter inch by inch.

It takes about two seconds for Yuri to stomp over to counter and nearly push the man out of the way.

“Sorry to butt in, but some of us are trying to get coffee,” Yuri says, unable to help his clipped tone or his glare.

The man arches an eyebrow and makes a small noise of disbelief before stepping to the side. He makes no move to leave, though, so Yuri just turns to Flynn and loudly says, “So, how’s your day been, babe?”

Flynn’s big blue eyes widen a fraction before recognition replaces the initial shock.

With a small smile, Flynn replies, “It’s been OK.” Then, “Actually, I’ve been a little stressed. When I get home, will you give me a foot massage?”

It’s Yuri’s turn to be shocked. Yes, he would love to do that. He would love to wait for Flynn to come home and then help him unwind and relax. He would love to touch him and make him feel good. He wants that so badly, so it’s easy to pretend.

“Of course, babe, whatever you want,” Yuri says, voice a bit softer than he’d intended.

He reaches out a hand, and Flynn takes it. After a quiet moment of stroking small circles on each other’s hands, the sleazy man mutters something in German and walks away.

Finally, Flynn lets out a sigh and sinks against the counter, still not letting go of Yuri’s hand.

“Thank you for that,” he says, sounding both tired and relieved.

“Yeah,” is all Yuri says, because he’s just thinking about that guy and how many other guys have probably come in here hitting on Flynn. Of course they would; Flynn’s cute, and he’s way too nice to turn down someone, at least not in a clear, curt way. One day, probably, someone who’s not a sleazy dirtbag will hit on him, and maybe Flynn will actually take that opportunity, and he’ll smile at them the same way he smiles at Yuri. Yuri’s been an idiot to think that he had all the time in the world—he knows now more than ever that he has to act sooner rather than later, but he’s still such a huge coward whenever he thinks about doing anything that would anger Duke.

“There’s a concert this Friday.”

Yuri blinks and glances up at Flynn, who has an expression of hope and hesitation.

Flynn squeezes his hand and adds, “On campus.”

On campus. It wouldn’t be hard to walk to campus. But Duke might see them if he goes to the concert or passes by the green.

Then again, the thought of holding Flynn in the dark of the night while listening to music together really is a nice image.

“Oh yeah?” Yuri says with a smirk, finally letting go of Flynn’s hand to lean against the countertop. “What kind of music is it?”

Flynn shrugs a shoulder, looking a little relieved that Yuri’s interested at all. “I don’t know, some sort of... alt indie?”

“Ugh,” Yuri grumbles, rolling his eyes but with a smile.

Laughing, Flynn says, “You know how our school is.”

“Yeah, maybe that’s why I stopped going.”

“We don’t have to go,” Flynn hurriedly says, smile dropping. “Not if you don’t want to.”

It’s not that he doesn’t want to. It’s that he doesn’t know if he should.

But maybe, just maybe, for once, he should act on something he wants.

“Hmm,” Yuri hums, tilting his head up to the ceiling in thought. “I don’t know, it might be fun with the right company.”

His eyes slide over to see Flynn’s expression. That smile that dropped so quickly is slowly blooming on his face again, this time accompanied by a light blush.

Jesus, it feels so good to make him smile.

“Yeah?” Flynn says, voice light, like he wasn’t expecting Yuri to actually say yes.

“Yeah,” Yuri confirms with a nod and a smile of his own. “Text me the details.”

“Yeah,” Flynn says, full smile now, maybe even bouncing on his heels a bit. “Yeah, OK, I‘ll do that.”

Christ, Yuri would do anything to make him happy like that.

Patting the countertop, Yuri says, “All right, call me if there’s another German guy trying to hit on you.”

“I will,” Flynn laughs, tucking a piece of hair behind his ear.

He’d better. Yuri will fight all of them.

—

He has no idea how to bring it up with Duke.

Yuri’s never really been interested in school events, and even less so after he dropped out. Casually mentioning the concert to Duke may not seem believable. He could say that his friends invited him, but Duke might not like that. Duke also could want to come with Yuri, which, of course, couldn’t happen if he’s going to go with Flynn.

But he made a promise to Flynn, a promise that Flynn deserves to have fulfilled.

While Duke’s reading something for class, Yuri summons all his confidence and takes a deep breath.

“So, I heard there’s a concert this Friday,” he says in what he hopes is a casual, candid tone.

Duke barely glances up from his book. “Mm, I think I saw something about that.”

“Are you planning on going?” Yuri asks, trying not to sound too cautious.

Duke takes a moment to scribble something down in his notebook before responding. “No, I have midterm papers to grade.” 

“Oh, OK.” Good, then there won’t be achance of running into Duke during the concert. “I guess I’ll just go by myself, then?”

He doesn’t know why it feels like he has to ask for permission to go to a concert. He shouldn’t have to. But he knows what will happen if he does anything without Duke’s expressed approval. The repercussions of not getting approval—the icy looks and suffocating silences—aren’t worth the trouble.

Finally, Duke looks at Yuri. “You want to go to campus?”

“I mean, I’m not going to campus just to go to campus. It’s been a while since I’ve been to a concert, and, I don’t know.” Yuri shrugs. “It might be fun.”

Duke stares at him, and Yuri hopes to god that Duke can’t see hear his erratic heartbeat or feel the cold sweat that’s rippling through him.

After what feels like an eternity, Duke finally turns his attention back to his book. “Just don’t come back too late, or I’ll be worried.”

“Yeah, of course,” Yuri says, relieved. Even if there is still somewhat of a threat in that statement, at least Duke’s letting him go out in the first place.

“Letting” him. He shouldn’t have to wait for someone to “let” him do anything.

He needs to get out of this situation, but he doesn’t know how to.

—

Friday comes, and Yuri walks the familiar path to campus. Once he’s close enough to the green, he texts Flynn.

“Where are you?”

“In front of the Student Activities Center.”

“I don’t see—”

But then Yuri sees Flynn with a light blue button down over a white T-shirt and khaki pants. It’s the first time Yuri’s seen him in anything other than his work apron, and even if the apron is adorable, Yuri could get used to seeing him in his street clothes. Honestly, Flynn’s cute no matter what he’s wearing.

“You remember where everything is,” Flynn comments, impressed, once Yuri’s close enough.

“Well, I was here for a whole three years.”

“I’m just glad you made it safely,” Flynn says smiling.

For some reason, when Flynn says it, it doesn’t sound like a coverup for a threat.

They make their way over to the campus green, where a crowd has begun to form as technicians perform a sound check.

“We’re not coming fashionably late?” Yuri says amused.

“That’s sort-of disrespectful to the artist, don’t you think?” Flynn muses. “They worked hard. They deserve the undivided attention.”

“You’re too nice, Flynn,” Yuri says, smirking. “One day, someone’s gonna take advantage of you.”

Flynn shrugs and offers a small smile. “Well, I’ll just have to have someone strong by my side to make sure that doesn’t happen.”

Yuri will fight anyone who tries to hurt Flynn, he swears.

Time passes as the band sets up, and as more and more people start peppering onto the green, Yuri can’t help looking around, scanning the crowd, hoping not to see any of Duke’s colleagues, and begging all gods in the universe that Duke himself isn’t here.

“Are you looking for someone?” Flynn notices.

Yuri smirks. “Yeah, the librarians on the fourth floor. I never returned those movies I borrowed.”

“You stole from the library?” Flynn gasps.

“Not on purpose. It was a well-timed accident.”

“You should have brought those with you.”

“Oops.”

“Maybe we can go back and grab them after this is over.”

Yuri’s easy smirk drops at the thought of Duke back at home. “No. Maybe one day, but not today.”

Flynn looks like he wants to say something, but he’s interrupted by the lead singer speaking into the microphone.

The band begins to play. Just as Yuri thought, it’s not really his type of music, but it is nice to listen to music next to Flynn. The boy’s eyes are bright, and his lips are slightly parted in awe, and there’s nothing more that Yuri wants to do than hold him and sway gently to the music.

But he can’t stop feeling like someone might be watching him. He can’t stop glancing around the crowd. He can’t stop checking his phone to make sure that Duke hasn’t texted him asking where he is or demanding he come home. Flynn notices his scattered attention, but every time Flynn gives him a curious, worried look, Yuri just dismisses it with a shake of his head and tries to focus on the band and the closeness of the boy next to him.

The show feels like it stretches on for hours with Yuri’s nerves on full alert the whole time. Once the band has finished their final song, Yuri checks his phone to see that it’s only been an hour and, thankfully, Duke still hasn’t texted him.

“What’d you think?” Flynn asks as they join the crowd leaving the green.

“Hm? Oh, yeah, it was good,” Yuri mumbles absentmindedly.

Flynn sighs. “Yuri, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing, nothing’s wrong.”

“You’ve been on edge ever since we got here.”

“I said, I’m on the lookout for those librarians. They can be pretty scary ladies, you know.”

Narrowing his eyes, Flynn accuses, “You’re lying.”

“I’m not—they’re like witches.”

“If you didn’t want to come, you could have just said so,” Flynn says, crossing his arms.

“No, no, I did want to come,” Yuri says, finally dropping his teasing tone. “It’s just...”

“It’s just what?”

“It’s just... well...”

He can’t say anything. What’s there to say?

At Yuri’s loss for words, Flynn lets out a frustrated sigh and weaves through the side of the crowd. Yuri calls out and tries his best to keep up.

“Flynn! Hey, Flynn, wait!”

“Wait for what?” Flynn blurts, finally spinning around once they’ve walked a bit away from the crowd. “Wait for you to finally make up your mind about if you want to spend time with me or not? I don’t know if this push and pull is fun for you, but it’s not for me, and frankly, I’m tired of it.”

“Flynn, I...” Yuri trails off, but he can’t find the right words.

“No, you said it yourself—no one should take advantage of me,” Flynn says curtly. “I don’t know what’s going on with you, but once you figure out how you feel about me, let me know.”

He starts to turn, and Yuri’s body moves on its own. It’s pure instinct; it’s an immediate, clear answer—just a sure understanding that he wants this, he wants this more than anything, and he doesn’t want to let it go.

Yuri grabs Flynn’s shirt and pulls him close, smashing their lips together. It’s not an elegant kiss, it’s a messy movement of lips on lips, but finally he’s kissing the mouth he’s dreamed of kissing, and Flynn’s hands are on the sides of his face, and he’s kissing back with the same desperation and fervor.

They part, and Yuri knows that now’s the time that he should be looking right at Flynn and his big, blue eyes, but he still can’t help glancing to the side, half expecting Duke to have materialized out of nowhere with a disapproving look on his face.

“Are you... avoiding someone?” Flynn whispers, eyes widening in understanding. 

Yuri licks his lips nervously. “Yeah.”

Letting out a sigh, Flynn says, “Why didn’t you tell me sooner? I thought maybe you didn’t like me.”

“What? I could never not like you,” Yuri says in disbelief.

Flynn grabs Yuri’s hand and starts walkingquickly out of the green. They walk down familiar brick paths and shortcuts, and a few times, Yuri tries to let go of Flynn’s grasp, still paranoid about Duke’s presence, but Flynn won’t let him go.

They walk hand-in-hand all the way to Flynn’s student apartment, where finally,  _ finally _ , Flynn pulls Yuri on top of him on his bed. After so many nights thinking about it, Yuri finally touches Flynn all the ways he wants to, finally makes Flynn gasp and whimper under his fingertips, finally sinks deep into him and feels Flynn all around him. When Flynn comes, he makes the sweetest sound, and Yuri tries to memorize it, plays it over and over in his head for his own release.

They’re quickly reduced to panting mess of sweaty limbs.

“You have no idea how long I’ve wanted to do that,” Yuri says through heavy breaths.

Reaching up to brush away some hair in Yuri’s face, Flynn counters, “You have no idea how long  _ I’ve  _ wanted to do that.”

Yuri laughs in relief, and Flynn joins in with that sweet, sweet laugh that always begs to be captured in a kiss. With all the tension and anxiety fizzled out now, the kiss they share is soft and slow and one that Yuri wants to continue for hours.

A vibration in his pants on the floor jerks him out of his senses.

“Fuck,” Yuri gasps, scrambling off Flynn and falling to the floor.

He fumbles for his phone and unlocks it to see one message from Duke:

“Where are you.”

Fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck. He fucked up. He messed up so badly. Before, it was just thoughts and texts that could always be interpreted as friendly, but he’d really gone and done it now, naked on the floor of someone else’s bedroom.

Fuck. Duke is gonna kill him.

“I have to go,” Yuri rushes, throwing on his clothes.

Flynn sits up a bit, and his voice is so quiet and hurt when he says, “Oh, OK.”

“Sorry, I—” Yuri shuts his eyes and juts out his jaw in frustration. “Trouble at home. I’ll text you.”

“OK.”

Yuri wishes he could kiss Flynn one last time before he leaves, but he doesn’t have time.

—

His legs move as fast as they can as Yuri sprints all the way home. On the way, a thousand thoughts fly through his head, various excuses he could tell Duke, but Duke can always tell when he’s lying, so anything other than the truth is futile. His heart races and he can barely breathe straight from the running and the pure whirl of anxiety flooding through him.

When he slams open the door of the apartment, Duke is still at his desk grading papers.

Slowly, he raises an eyebrow at Yuri’s dynamic entrance.

“Why were you running?” Duke asks calmly.

“Oh,” Yuri says between heavy breaths, voice cracking. “I just... didn’t want to keep you waiting.”

“It wasn’t me who was waiting—Repede’s been whining for an hour,” Duke says, nodding at the dog at Yuri’s heels.

Oh. OK. It’s OK. Duke’s not mad or suspicious. Not yet, at least.

Licking his dry lips, Yuri grabs the leash from the door hook. “He probably just needs to go outside. I’ll take him out.”

“You don’t need to do that right away,” Duke says, turning back to his papers but still keeping a careful eye on Yuri. “You can catch your breath.”

“It’s OK, I already have my shoes on.”

Not to mention he needs to take a breather after all of that. After Repede’s relieved himself on some grass, Yuri lets out something between a sigh and a groan and flops down on the curb of the parking lot, feeling like a bag of bricks is weighing him down.

It’s OK. It’ll be OK. He’s not in any trouble.

He takes his phone out of his pocket and sees a text from Flynn.

“Hope everything’s OK. Hope you made it home safe.”

He’s so sweet. He’s so kind, and Yuri doesn’t deserve him one bit. Flynn deserves someone so much better than the fuckup troublemaker that he is.

He can’t do this anymore. It’s not fair to Flynn, and it’s way too risky for Yuri. Maybe later, one day when he can look at a kind message from Flynn and feel joy instead of immense guilt, maybe when Yuri finally gets his shit together, he can pick this back up—that is, if Flynn hasn’t found someone else by then.

It hurts so much, but Yuri deletes the message, their entire conversation history, and Flynn’s contact information from his phone.

It feels like a lifeline is being ripped away.


	3. Chapter 3

The next morning, Yuri wakes up with Duke wrapped around him. In the calm, quiet Saturday morning, with Duke’s facial features soft with sleep, Yuri remembers what it used to be like, why he was so drawn to this passionate man, how nice it could be again, maybe, possibly.

It’s better this way. Just Yuri and Duke, no other complications. It’s safer this way.

Yuri reaches for his phone on the nightstand and sees two texts from an unregistered number.

“You didn’t text me when you got home... I’m worried.”

“Are you OK? Let me know if there’s any way I can help.”

Yuri closes his eyes and bites his lip. It takes all that he has to delete the messages.

It’s better this way. It’s better this way.

Sleep won’t come again so easily with his heart twisting in his chest, so he pulls himself out of bed. After a few minutes in the kitchen fixing up a piece of toast, Duke pads into the room with soft footsteps.

“Will you put on some coffee for me?” Duke mumbles, voice lower than usual, caked with sleep.

Yuri checks the empty coffee cupboard. “Sorry, it looks like we’re out.”

Humming in disapproval, Duke blinks up at the microwave clock.

“Let’s go out and get some,” Duke suggests. “Where’s that coffee shop you’ve been going to lately?”

Yuri’s heart catches in his throat. His voice is shaky when he says, “A-ah, we don’t have to go to that one.”

“You seem to enjoy it.”

“I’ve gotten bored of it. Why don’t we try somewhere new?”

“You said it’s on the way to campus, right? It sounds convenient.”

Yuri forces himself to take deep, steady breaths to control his racing heartbeat. It’s fine, it’s OK. It’s Saturday morning, and Flynn usually works weekday mornings. It’s not like there aren’t other baristas in the café, right? It’ll be fine.

“Yeah, sure, OK,” Yuri says, trying to keep his spiraling anxiety out of his tone.

—

When they walk into the café, Yuri almost doesn’t even look up at the counter, too scared to see who’s there, in case it’s who he both doesn’t want to see and desperately does want to see. But his eyes can’t help wandering over to the counter out of habit, maybe out of hope, some stupid part of him still clinging onto the idea of Flynn saving him from his predicament.

But to both his dismay and relief, it’s not a certain bright blonde boy behind the counter, but the other nice girl. Estelle, was it?

There’s a bit of a line this morning, so Duke takes the time to look around the café.

“It’s cute, isn’t it?” he thinks aloud. “Not like your usual grunge aesthetic.”

Yuri laughs, loosening up a bit. “Hey, I can be cute, too.”

“You can be,” Duke says quietly with the smallest of smirks.

They don’t usually flirt, especially not in public like this, partly because of the age difference and the “code of conduct”, with Duke being a grad student and all, and partly because that’s just how it’s always been for them, a more private sort of relationship. It’s nice to feel more like a couple rather than whatever they are now.

Yeah, it’s better this way.

They’re almost at the front of the line, and just when Yuri thinks everything might actually go smoothly, there’s a shuffle of movement behind the counter, the baristas swap shifts, and an all-too-familiar flop of bright blonde hair approaches the countertop.

Flynn catches sight of Yuri, and they both freeze—Yuri shocked in fear, and Flynn shocked in hurt and surprise. After glancing at the tall, older grad student next to Yuri, Flynn looks back at Yuri with a question in his eyes, but, with the slightest of movements, Yuri shakes his head and then drops his gaze.

Thankfully, Duke is too focused on the drink menu above Flynn’s head to notice the quick silent exchange of looks.

“Hi, what can I get for you?” Flynn asks, voice neutral and cautious, nothing like his usual chirpy attitude.

“Yes, may I have an americano, please?” Duke replies.

“Your total is $3.”

“Ah, and I’ll cover his, as well,” Duke says, motioning for Yuri to step up.

Yuri can’t meet Flynn’s eyes as he mumbles, “Can I get an iced coffee?”

“Sure.” Flynn’s tone is terse. Then, to Duke, with maybe a little attitude in his voice, “May I have a name for the order?”

“That would be Duke,” Duke answers with a nod.

“Duke,” Flynn repeats under his breath, writing the name on a cup like he’s etching it into a tombstone.

There are so many things Yuri wants to tell Flynn. There are so many things he should tell Flynn. But he can’t even bring himself to look at him right now, so he just steps off to the side and waits with Duke.

“He’s a bit rude, isn’t he?” Duke comments.

Yuri’s head whips up to see Duke staring at Flynn. “Is he?”

“He had an odd tone.”

“I, uh, guess he did, huh.”

“Is he often like that?”

Yuri swallows. “What do you mean?”

“You come here often, don’t you?” Duke clarifies, peering down at Yuri. “You’ve talked with him before.”

Glancing over at Flynn, who looks he’s about to blow a fuse, Yuri says quietly, “No, he’s not usually like this. He’s usually... really nice.”

It feels awful knowing that he’s the reason Flynn’s frowning like that.

“Duke!” Estelle calls out, placing two cups on the countertop.

“Do you mind?” Duke says, looking expectantly at Yuri.

Nodding, Yuri approaches the counter and scoops up both drinks: Duke’s hot drink with his name all large and jagged, and Yuri’s cold drink with his name written more softly, with more care and grace. How many times has Flynn written his name? Not even just on a cup, but also in text messages, to him or maybe to other friends.

Yuri never wants Flynn to stop writing his name, or at least never without that same care. But is there anything he can do to have that?

It’s better this way.

... right?

He still doesn’t make eye contact with Flynn as he returns to Duke with the drinks.

After taking one sip of his drink, Duke pauses.

“That’s strange,” he says, voice slow and calculating. “I don’t recall you telling the barista your name.”

“I didn’t.”

“Then why is it on your cup?”

Yuri’s eyes widen. Shit. He hadn’t thought of that.

Letting out a nervous laugh, Yuri says, ”You said it yourself: I come here pretty often. I guess he remembers me.” 

“Do you know his name?”

Duke’s red eyes are observing, challenging, like a predator waiting for a chance to strike.

Yuri could lie. He’s an excellent liar. But something about the cold way Duke’s looking at him makes him think that’s a bad idea.

“Yeah,” Yuri admits. “I do.”

“What is it?”

“It’s... Flynn.”

“Flynn what?”

“I don’t know, I don’t remember.”

“Don’t lie to me, Yuri.”

“I’m not lying; you’re being paranoid,” Yuri snaps. “Come on, let’s get out of here.”

Yuri starts to leave, but just as he passes Flynn behind the countertop, Duke spins him around and kisses him on the mouth.

Yuri’s eyes widen, seeing Duke’s dark, red eyes staring back at him. He shouldn’t, he knows he shouldn’t, but Yuri can’t help glancing to the side, at Flynn’s shocked and broken expression.

No. No, no, no, it wasn’t supposed to be like this.

Instinctively, Yuri tries to shove Duke back, but the older man has a strong arm around his waist.

“What are you doing?” Yuri grunts, wiping his mouth.

“I can’t kiss the man I love?” Duke replies, giving him a steady look.

Love? They’ve never said anything like that to each other before, and here he is saying it now, loud enough for the shocked barista behind the counter to hear.

Straightening up, still with a tight grip around Yuri’s waist, Duke turns his attention to Flynn.

“Whatever you two thought you had, you don’t,” he says. There’s no fire or venom in his voice; just a calm coldness that sends shivers up Yuri’s spine.

Finally, Duke lets go of Yuri’s waist and walks away, leaving Yuri alone in front of someone who looks like his whole world has fallen apart right before him.

It feels cold and empty all around Yuri as he looks at Flynn. But there’s nothing he can do. There’s nothing he can say to explain himself or beg for forgiveness—not that he deserves it.

Clenching his fists, Yuri lowers his head and follows Duke out the door.

The guy hadn’t even waited for him to catch up.

“Duke!” Yuri calls after him. “Where are you going?”

“ _ We _ are going home.”

“I thought you wanted to go to campus.”

“What I want,” Duke says curtly, shooting Yuri a sharp look, “is to not hear a word from you.”

Yuri closes his mouth and lowers his gaze. The silence is thick between them the entire walk home.

There aren’t that many options at this point. The last thing he wants to do is to be stuck at home while Duke’s a silent volcano stewing in the room, but he just lost his one escape. He can’t think about Flynn anymore and how things could be different if he just... if he’d just...

There has to be another way. Yuri can’t do this anymore.

When they arrive back at their apartment, Yuri takes a deep breath and starts.

“Duke, I—”

“Did I not make myself clear?” Duke interrupts. “I don’t want to hear a word from you.”

“What, so you want me to just sit here while you glare at me from across the room?” Yuri retorts.

“I want you to reflect on your actions,” Duke says. His voice is calm, but it sounds like he’s doing all that he can to hold back a torrent of anger. “You’re a smart boy, Yuri. You’re smarter than this.”

“Don’t patronize me.”

“I was doing the exact opposite, in fact. That was a compliment.”

Their relationship has always been so complicated, especially with their age difference and their different “school statuses,” whatever the hell that means. Usually Yuri wouldn’t think twice about holding back his sharp tongue from authority figures, but it’s harder when the person in question clearly cares for him, in one way or another.

“Did you mean what you said?” Yuri asks, scared of the answer either way. “Do you love me?”

Finally, there’s some sort of emotion and fire in Duke’s eyes. Slowly approaching Yuri, Duke growls, “Do you think I would do any of this if I didn’t love you? Do you think I would let you live in my home, eat my food, and sleep in my bed if I didn’t love you?”

Duke’s hands are on him now, grabbing the front of Yuri’s shirt in his fists. He’s so much taller than Yuri, and when he pulls the shirt up, Yuri can feel his feet lifting off the floor. This close, Yuri can see the burning passion swirling in Duke’s deep red eyes.

But it’s not just passion in his eyes. There’s something dark and twisted swimming in them, too. Obsession. Control.

“You’re wrong,” Yuri grunts, pushing himself out of Duke’s grasp. “That’s not love.”

Just like that, calm washes over Duke’s face again. “You think you love him, don’t you? That boy.”

Yuri drops his gaze. Love? Is that what he feels toward Flynn? Is that why he’s so sure that Duke doesn’t love him?

“You don’t love him.”

Yuri glances back up. Even if there’s no smirk or cocky eyebrow on Duke’s face, he still manages to look confident.

“You’re interested in him,” Duke explains in a neutral tone, like it’s completely normal to tell someone else how they feel. “You think he’s attractive. You think it might be fun to get a quick fuck out of a pretty face. But you don’t love him.”

“Don’t talk about him like that,” Yuri rejects, disgusted at the thought of reducing Flynn to a quick fuck.

“Let me ask you this, then.” Duke crosses one arm and raises another in question, like Yuri’s seen him do every time he posed a question in class. “Do you think he loves you?”

His heart lifts an inch and then plummets to the floor. Even if he wants to hope for it, he can’t.

“Or, if he did, do you think he still does?” Duke continues. “He seems like a nice boy. After what he learned today, after knowing you lied to him, do you think he still loves you?”

Yuri’s gaze drops to the floor to join his heart, low and defeated. As much as he doesn’t want to admit it, Duke is probably right. There’s no way someone as kind as Flynn could forgive him for what he’s done.

But even if he can’t change the past, that doesn’t mean he can’t change the future.

“Even if he doesn’t love me,” Yuri whispers. “I want to be someone who he can love.”

Duke’s voice is low and curt again. “So, what are you planning to do? Leave? And go where? You have no home, no money, and no friends to take you in.”

“I don’t care,” Yuri says, starting to raise his voice. “I can’t do this anymore.”

“You have nothing!” Duke exclaims, eyes wide and bright in a way that Yuri’s never seen before. “Nothing here belongs to you! Everything here that you think is yours is something I bought for you. You leave here, and you won’t have anything but the clothes on your back.”

“I don’t care,” Yuri repeats, more firmly this time. 

He turn his body to the door and shoots Duke the glare he deserves. With those nasty, transparent words finally showing his twisted motives, it’s easy not to hold back any feelings of resentment anymore.

Taking the dog leash off the hook on the back of the door, Yuri spits, “You can have it all, but I’m taking my dog.”

—

It takes him an hour or so of raking up the last shreds of confidence in him and maybe a few pep talks from both Judith and Rita, but Yuri finally steels himself to open the café doors with his trusty furry companion by his side.

At the door jingle, Flynn glances up from the counter—only for a flat look of disapproval and disinterest to replace his previously charming customer-serving expression.

“Estelle, can you help this customer for me?” Flynn says in a sharp tone, already walking away from the counter to wipe down some jars of loose leaf tea.

Nervously, Estelle approaches Yuri and asks in a timid voice, “What can I get started for you?”

“Can I talk to Flynn, please?” Yuri requests.

Estelle glances at Flynn, who’s wiping the same spot on a jar of tea. “He’s... a bit busy at the moment. May I take a message?”

“Yeah, can you tell him...”

Even if Flynn’s mad at him, even if Flynn hates him, Yuri can’t help the swelling in his chest when he looks at him. Just looking at him has always been enough to chase away the heaviness in his heart that he didn’t think he’d ever stop feeling.

After that conversation with Duke, he knows for sure what this feeling is.

“Can you tell him... that I love him?”

Finally, Flynn looks up from the stupid jar. His blue eyes are brimming with shock, anger, and fresh hurt, but they’re still so beautiful.

Sighing loudly, Flynn starts taking off his apron.

“I’m taking my break,” he mutters to Estelle as he opens the countertop flap to let himself out. He doesn’t say anything to Yuri, but Yuri follows him out anyway.

As soon as they leave the café, Flynn spins around with his hands folded across his chest.

“You have ten minutes,” he says curtly. “Or five, because I have to use the restroom.”

“Flynn, I’m so sorry,” Yuri starts immediately. “I should have been honest with you from the start.”

“You should have.”

“Duke and I...” Yuri struggles to find the right words. “It was... complicated. It was bad—so bad. I wanted to leave, but... I couldn’t.”

He’s never told anyone any of this before. Finally putting it into words and hearing them from his own mouth makes everything feel so real and not like the hazy dream it all felt like.

But something was able to pull him out of that nightmare. Something was able to show him the light.

“Flynn, you... you got me out of there,” Yuri says, feeling so naked and vulnerable. “I was at a point where I actually just sort of gave up on... I don’t know, trying to be happy? But then I met you, and...”

Flynn’s pursed lips are finally starting to relax. The hardness in his eyes is finally starting to dissipate, replaced with a soft sort of understanding.

Flynn’s too good for him, but please,  _please_ , Yuri wants this more than anything.

“When I look at you, I feel... motivated, maybe? Hopeful? When I look at you, I actually see a future that I want to live. I don’t just want to survive and wait and hope for not the worst—I want to be better, I want to make you happy, I...” Yuri takes a deep breath. “I want to be with you.”

Flynn’s arms are still crossed, but his face isn’t angry anymore. For a moment, the only sound between them is Repede jangling the leash as he paces back and forth.

“You said ‘was,’” Flynn says quietly.

“What?”

“When you were talking about that guy.”

“Oh, yeah.” Yuri nods his head back in the direction of the apartment. “Yeah, I left just now.”

“And this is your dog?” Flynn says, squatting down to pet Repede.

“Yeah, he’s all I have left,” Yuri says, grimacing. “I had to leave everything else.”

Flynn glances up at him with one hand still scratching behind Repede’s ear. Recognition passes through his eyes before it’s washed away with solemnity. As pathetic as he feels right now, Yuri’s glad that Flynn’s able to understand just how bad it all was.

Flynn pushes himself off the ground, still looking at Repede, and then says, “So, I guess you don’t have a place to stay right now?”

“Nope.”

“What are you going to do?”

“I, uh.” Yuri scratches his cheek awkwardly. “I didn’t actually think that far ahead.”

“Do you wanna stay at my place until you figure it out?”

Yuri blinks. Flynn’s giving him a cautious look, but there’s something warm and kind there, too—something so very Flynn.

As blessed as he feels to know someone so caring, the thought of crashing at someone‘s place right after getting out of another’s in such a dependent situation doesn’t feel right. But with his limited resources and lack of funds right now, what choice does he have?

“Ugh, I feel so fucking useless right now,” Yuri groans. “I wish I could politely decline, but I... can’t.”

“You don’t want to?” Flynn says hesitantly.

“It’s not that, it’s just...” Yuri frowns. “I’m tired of mooching off people.”

“Well, it’s only temporary, and you wouldn’t be staying for free,” Flynn elaborates.

Fidgeting, Yuri mumbles, “I, um, don’t have much money.” 

“I didn’t mean money. What kind of cold-hearted—” Flynn pauses and then clears his throat. “Anyway, I didn’t mean money.”

“What’d you mean, then?”

“I meant...” That familiar blush is creeping up Flynn’s neck again. “I meant you have to take me on more dates.”

There’s a beat, and then Yuri laughs. After frowning for so long these past twenty-four hours, it feels refreshing for his face to pull into a smile.

“I mean it!” Flynn insists, pouting, even if he’s bright as an apple. “I don’t want you to play hard-to-get anymore.”

“I wasn’t playing hard-to-get, I was...” Yuri shakes his head, not wanting to think about the past. “Trust me, I wanted to take you out the minute I saw you.”

“Yeah, well, you can take me out now,” Flynn says, still trying his hardest to look intimidating. “And you’d better.”

“I will, I will,” Yuri says, still chasing away a few chuckles.

Flynn finally drops his persistent pout into more of a frown. “This doesn’t mean I forgive you, you know. Not completely.”

“That’s fair,” Yuri says with a shrug. “I’m just glad you’re talking to me at all.”

Flynn hums, nods to himself, and then says, quietly, “Did you mean it? What you said?”

It’s a vague question, but Yuri knows exactly what it’s referring to.

“Yeah,” Yuri says with a sure nod. “I did. I do.”

“We haven’t known each other for that long.”

“We don’t have to,” Yuri says, shaking his head. “I know.”

It’s so small, but finally,  _finally_ , for the first time that day, Yuri sees a smile on Flynn’s lips.

Checking the time on his phone, Flynn says, “All right, well, my shift ends in two hours, so come back then, and we can go to my apartment together.”

“Why do I have to leave and come back?” Yuri says. “Can’t I just stay in the back and sleep, or something?”

“With a dog? That’s a health hazard.”

“He’s a very clean dog.”

“Yuri. No.”

“Fine, fine, I’ll go bother Rita, or something.”

“Good,” Flynn says, opening the café door. “And you’d better be on time. I’m not waiting on you anymore.”

Yuri smirks. “You won’t have to. I’ll be here, I promise.”

Flynn’s smile is hesitant but hopeful. It’s not like the big, bright one that Yuri’s used to, but he’s just glad that he can still make Flynn smile at all.

—

It’s not hard for Yuri to move in, considering he doesn’t have anything to move in. After going on a bit of a shopping spree to get Yuri some clothes and toiletries, and after a few days of learning where all the forks and spoons are, cohabiting becomes easy and natural.

Yuri’s waiting on the couch one night when the door opens expectedly.

“Ugh,” Flynn groans, tossing his bag on the floor.

“Welcome home,” Yuri says, sitting up. “How was work?”

“It was fine,” Flynn says automatically, but his tone suggests otherwise.

Patting the spot next to him, Yuri beckons, “Come here.”

After some shifting of bodies sharing a couch that’s too small, Flynn ends up lying down with his feet in Yuri’s lap. Slowly, Yuri works his fingers and knuckles up and around the tense muscles of Flynn’s feet.

“Mm, Yuri, stop,” Flynn mumbles with the back of his hand against his eyes.

“Not good?”

“No, it’s too good.”

Smirking, Yuri tugs at Flynn’s ankle, and Flynn takes the cue, climbing on Yuri’s lap and kissing him, fingers threading through his hair.

“It’s nice to have someone to come home to,” Flynn whispers against Yuri’s mouth.

“Oh yeah?” Yuri says with a small smirk. “Maybe I should stop saving up to move out, then.”

“Maybe you should.”

Yuri drops his smirk.

Fiddling lightly with Yuri’s shirt sleeve, Flynn says quietly, “What if... you come with me to D.C.?”

Yuri’s smirk is back despite the skip in his heart. “And who said what about us not knowing each other that long?”

“Oh, shut up,” Flynn whines, smiling and leaning back so that Yuri has to catch his waist to make sure he doesn’t fall. “This is mostly for your sake, you know.”

“Oh, really?”

“Yeah, if you love me so much, then it’d probably suck for you to be so far away from me.”

“Hmm, you raise a good point,” Yuri says, frowning as if deep in thought before his face breaks into a grin. “But really—me, with the feds? Can you imagine?”

“Will you stay out of trouble for once, Yuri Lowell?”

“No promises.”

“I change my mind; you’re way too risky to have around while my career is taking off.”

“What, worried I’ll scuff up your squeaky clean record, Mr. Scifo?”

“You’re a scandal waiting to happen.”

“But that’s part of the fun of it, right?” Yuri says, moving his head left and right like he’s dodging something. “You never know when it’ll happen.”

“Your idea of fun is very different from mine.”

“Aww, come on. If I’m not going around causing trouble for politicians, then what else will I do in D.C.?”

“You could just... be with me?” Flynn says shrugging a shoulder.

“Is that really all you have to offer?”

“Do you need any more?”

It’s not even a question.

Yuri tightens his hold on Flynn’s waist. “No. I have all I want right here.”

With a smile so sweet, Flynn leans down and kisses him.


End file.
